Today, we ask you to join us in supporting the Fourth Annual Joseph D. Freedman Bowl-a-Thon, which will be held on Saturday, November 14, 2015, 12:30-3:30 p.m, at the Chicopee AMF Lanes in Chicopee. Last year, we welcomed over 220 guests and raised nearly $85,000 in support of Camphill, where our sister Susie has lived for 38 years.
This year, we’re setting our sights higher than ever. With your help, we would like to raise $100,000 to support the important work of the Village. To help us achieve our goal, will you consider supporting us at a sponsorship level of $500 and above?
Camphill Village means a lot to us and our family. The Village has always honored the uniqueness, dignity, and integrity of each individual – regardless of ability. Founded in 1961 and located in Copake, NY, it is home to 95 special needs residents like Susie. Each day the residents engage in meaningful, necessary work. Some, like Susie, work in a craft workshop, creating items like candles, soaps, wooden furniture and kitchen items, or woven rugs and scarves. Others work in one of the Village’s biodynamic gardens or on the farm. In addition to the skill building jobs that each special needs resident is engaged in daily, life in the Village is full of culture, art, music and care. The quality of life, personal development and the sense of community is as remarkable as the volunteers and staff who live and work with Susie and who treat her as an equal.
This year the Village must raise $1.8 million to meet its annual operating budget. The annual cost of caring for each adult with special needs at Camphill is over $90,000 – higher than ever, due to the rising costs of medical care and other services. Government funding provides 54% of the funding needed to care for the Village’s residents but the Village relies on charitable contributions for the remaining 46%. Compounding the financial challenges, nearly half of the adults with special needs at the Village are over the age of 60 and no longer have family to help support costs. Regardless, no one has ever been charged a fee to live at the Village – nor has anyone ever been turned away for lack of funds.
Thank you for your past support and for helping us raise much-needed funds for Camphill Village. We look forward to hearing from you soon and seeing you on November 14th!
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